November 6, 2003	Thursday	Ramazan 10, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 5: The Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed its interim order in a land dispute case in Gwadar in which a former provincial minister is claiming that the Civil Aviation Authority was illegally occupying its 696 acres of land, worth billions of rupees.

Mir Abdul Ghafoor Kalpati, a former provincial minister was declared the owner of land measuring 694 acres, including the Gwadar Dry Port, by lower courts on his petition against the Civil Aviation Authority.

Sultan of Oman had purchased thousands of acres of land, including the area of Gwadar Dry Port, during the British rule in the Sub-continent.

Later in 1958, the Government of Pakistan purchased its land from the Oman government and since then the land was being used by Ministry of Defence and Civil Aviation Authority.

Mir Abdul Ghafoor Kalmatti claimed that he was the owner of the land and he had given the land to the Sultan of Oman on a temporary basis.

He contended that the Ministry of Defence and the CAA had been illegally using his land since 1958.

The civil as well as the has high courts gave their verdicts in favour of Mir Abdul Ghafoor.

The Supreme Court, on the appeal of the Balochistan Government, and the CAA, had suspended the operation of the Balochistan High Court through an interim order, and confirmed it on Wednesday.

The top court would decide the appeal on its turn.